That Fateful Day
by In-A-Parallel-World
Summary: Slexie friendly season finale and beyond. Other pairings included. Read to find out - summary sucks.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey peeps. So i'm starting a post flight story too. i know there is loads of them flying about (no pun intended) but its my version, because we all have slightly different imaginations right? im not telling you if certain people live or die because well, that will spoil the surprise right, plus i havent quite decided who will make it all the way, im conflicted!**

**For all of you who have reviewed or story alerted my other multi fic. I will come back to it eventually but right now i still cant get past the last episode. I started rewatching from season 1 before the season finale of this and got my sister a little hooked on it too, so im having to keep schtum on the whole Lexie death which is hard because I totally want to vent! (plus she doesn't even know who Lexie is yet cos we're only on season 3!)**

**Anyways...I'll shut up and let you read :)**

* * *

**That Fateful Day **

**Chapter One**

It had been a very long day at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Without the Head of Plastics, Paediatrics and Neurology, not to mention three extremely competent residents, it seemed that the whole hospital forgot how to run itself. Chief Hunt was already under immense stress with the possibility of losing some of the finest surgeons on the west coast, possibly the country, so it was up to the likes of Callie, Bailey and Webber to pick up the slack. So when Callie got home that night all she could think about was going to sleep, even though she had hoped to surprise Arizona, who she was missing like crazy. Her head had barely hit the pillow when there was a knock at the door. She thought about ignoring it at first but when there was a second knock she dragged herself off the bed and through the apartment to the front door.

"Julia?" Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Callie wondered why the woman was standing in the doorway.

"Hey Callie" She greeted brightly, then quickly apologised "Oh sorry, did I wake you, I thought you'd only just be home."

"Long day" Callie told her. "Uh, Mark's not here."

"No, I know, their plane is supposed to get in in about an hour. That's why I came round." Julia explained. "I was wondering if you'd let me take Sofia to the airport? I can pick up Mark and Arizona, I thought it'd be a nice surprise. That way, Arizona could have some Sofia time and then Mark and I can look after her while you and your wife can have the night to yourselves."

"Yeah, that sounds like a perfect plan" Callie agreed. "Except…well…I'd prefer to come with you, It's not that I don't…It's just…"

"Yeah of course you can come. Don't worry, I totally get it. You don't really know me all too well, and I've only ever looked after Sofia when Mark has been with me." Julia summarised the situation perfectly.

"I'll let you drive" Callie offered an olive branch.

Julia smiled. "You get the baby, I'll get the car."

* * *

The car ride to the airport started off quietly apart from the gentle, steady breathing of a sleeping Sofia. It felt weird to Callie, she only really knew Julia with Mark, she had never had a conversation with her without Mark being in the same room. It seemed like it was weird for Julia too, she looked like she was wanting to say something but never did. Then suddenly. " Hey Callie, Do you know Lexie?"

"Lexie?" Okay, that was unexpected!

"Dr. Grey. Works with Derek" Julia clarified.

"Yeah, She's Meredith's sister…" Callie could only think of one way this was going and it couldn't be good.

"Did she and Mark ever date?" Julia didn't really expect to be told anything, she knew Mark was Callie's best friend and she was hardly going to say anything to incriminate him but she asked anyway, she had to.

Callie wanted to change the subject but that would tell Julia too much. She couldn't be involved in this. So she deflected the question. "I thought you two had had the past relationship talk, you should know the answer to that right?"

Julia nodded her head. Yup this conversation was futile. "He told me about Addison, how he thought he was in love with her, but it never really worked out. And he told me about Teddy, the heart surgeon right? But that was more about sex than anything else and it didn't last long. And then of course there was you, the only other person he really ever had regular sex with, but that was never more than friends right?" She looked to Callie for confirmation which she got by the slight incline of the head. "He told me he used to sleep around a lot, never really got serious. Oh, so has he slept with Lexie then, is that it?"

"Is that what?" Callie asked aloud before she could stop herself, she should just leave it, she might even have been able to if she wasn't trapped in a car with her questioner "Sorry, Julia but what is this about?"

"Oh I don't know." Julia shrugged. "It's just that something seems not right. She threw a baseball at me, I mean what was that about?"

"She thought you were stealing second." Callie reminded her, concealing a smile, like anyone believed that!

"Well, when I did that eye surgery with Derek she kept glancing at Mark, and every other time I see her I always catch her looking, like she can't stop herself. Then the other night I went to meet Mark after work and I saw them talking, well she was talking and he was listening, but she had this look of so much longing like she was in love with him or something." Julia finally voiced what had been worrying her since she met the young brunette.

Callie was stunned. Not at Lexie's actions or the fact that Julia had noticed, but by the fact that Mark hadn't told her he had spoke to Lexie, he always told her everything, why would he hide something now? She knew really, he knew she would want him to be with Julia, because he and Lexie never worked.

"Well this is Mark we are talking about, he's extremely hot, I'm sure that all of Seattle think they are in love with him." Callie tried to reassure Julia, although she wasn't convinced she had made that good a job of it.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm used to people giving Mark a second look." She paused for a second not believing what she going to say next. "No, what I'm worried about is that after I walked up to them, I looked up at him and he was wearing exactly the same expression." There! She had finally said it, she thought her boyfriend was in love with another woman. "So please tell me Callie, what the hell is going on with those two?"

Callie's pager suddenly bleeped, making her jump slightly. _Saved by the bell! _Callie looked at in relief. Then got her phone out and rang the chief. "Hey hunt, are you really sure you need me, it's just that I haven't slept in 48 hours…"

She fell silent as Hunt interrupted her. She gasped as he told her, told him she would be right there and hung up.

"Hospital?" Julia asked, already changing lanes to make her way there.

Callie was silent, Julia needed to know but she was in the middle of driving. As soon as they got to the hospital, Callie told her to park the car.

"Well I was just going to drop you off?" Julia asked confused.

"The Boise hospital called Owen, our surgeons didn't turn up." Callie dropped the bomb shell.

"Well that's ridiculous, you saw them off." Julia reasoned, her brain not catching up.

Callie took in a breath. "They have search and rescue out looking now…for any sign of a plane wreckage." And then the tears that she had been holding in burst out.

* * *

**So for the record. I don't actually hate Julia, I hate the creation of her. I don't have any opinion on her as a character, I mostly refuse to acknowledge her exsistence. I'm writing her in the story because she is Mark's girlfriend after all. (For how long who knows? Will Mark survive? will he still want to be with her?**** Will Lexie survive? Will he still break up with Julia for Lexie? (Oh yes, that is a question! I'm evil at times, so who knows!) **

**Don't forget to review, even if its just "nice" or "crap" :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N. Sorry for the huge ass gap between chapters folks, I expected it to be a day or two but then we had a spot of boiling hot weather (for England) so it was too hot to do anything. Then I started writing and got distracted because it's an easy thing to do. Then I didn't know how to write this bit. Not at all happy with it but you deserve the next chapter. It feels like all the ideas I had are just plonked down on the paper with no order to them. **

**I was going to do the crash site scene but because I did the hospital I figured the story would progress too slow. So crash site scenes may appear later in flashbacks when relevant to a particular piece of the story. Basically everything that happened in s8 finale happens - except the pilot. His injuries are different…..**

* * *

Owen Hunt knew many things. He knew how to run a trauma unit: He knew how to prioritise patients: He knew that a quick patch can help save a life until the patient can get the required treatment needed. What Dr. Owen Hunt didn't know, was how to sit behind a desk waiting for a phone call, when his wife, friends and colleagues were missing and possibly dying.

What was he doing? He wasn't a paper-pushing suit, he was a surgeon, God damn it! And if those surgeons on that plane needed anything right now it was going to be a group of amazing doctors waiting to put them back together, he couldn't do nothing. He now realised how Derek could step down from such an amazing opportunity: Power isn't everything, some things are just more important, and in this situation, power is helplessness. He know knew exactly what he had to do. "Somebody page Webber"

* * *

This was his hospital, these were his people: of course he would step up to the plate. It's not like people didn't still call him Chief anyway, he'd given up telling them that he was just a doctor now, after all he was still the puppet master, he just didn't have the title anymore.

He had known them all from their very first day, had nurtured them, watched them grow as people and moulded them into great doctors, so that one day they could become some of the best surgeons in the world. And for what? It couldn't end this way, not now, not when they had come so far.

Meredith Grey was a broken person when she arrived at Seattle Grace. She was hiding a secret and was trying to honour it. She had always wanted her mothers love and approval but Ellis Grey was a workaholic, she didn't have the time for family, but she loved her daughter the best she knew how; but her daughter didn't know that and had been self destructive on more than one occasion. With the help of the man she loved, her friends surrounding her and a newly gained sister, Meredith slowly picked up the pieces to become a fearless doctor, wife and mother.

Derek Shepherd had run all the way to Seattle to avoid his problems. His marriage was a wreck, he lost his best friend and on top of that, he had a God complex. To him, every situation was black and white, there was no in-between. Over time he realised that sometimes situations called for a disregard of protocol, that people deserve another chance, that sometimes people do completely the wrong things for all the right reasons. And even though he got a divorce, he forgave his wife and best friend for their infidelities and they remain friends. He had married Meredith and they had a beautiful daughter, they were a happy family.

Christina Yang was ruthless. Everything to her was a competition that she couldn't afford to, or even know how to lose. She knew medicine, no-one could say otherwise, but bedside manner was not her strong point. She had been through a lot these past few years; losing a baby, believing her best friend was dying, being jilted, stabbed by an icicle, keeping Izzie's cancer a secret, watching her flat line, having George die, saving Derek's life whilst having a gun pointed at her head; but somehow she had made it through the other side. She had nearly given it all up once, but maybe the step back made her realise that she was a surgeon and she would always be one. She was stronger for it all, she focused all that heartbreak into saving the next person who came along, she wasn't afraid of making friends anymore, and even though the competition was still hers to win, she conceded that sometimes other people will get their chance to shine.

Arizona Robbins, who's confrontations with authority often left her in tears, had learned how to fight for her patients and what she believed in. She knew she was good at her job and often made people do things her way, but when she returned from Africa she learned how to listen, see the other side of stories and seek other peoples advice. She was also an amazing teacher and had taken Karev under her wing. She was married to Callie and they too, along with Mark, were raising a daughter. It was an unconventional family, but they made it work.

Mark Sloan was an arrogant man with talent; he used his interns as slaves to do menial tasks for him, instead of taking the time to teach them. His personal reputation was almost as famous as his professional one, he was a stereotypical plastic surgeon: talented, cocky and in it for the women. But something had happened along the way. Richard had always been against attending/intern relationships. It seemed to him that either the attending was taking advantage, or that the intern was trying to get ahead: but Sloan, was a changed man. He no longer slept his way through the female staff, he had become a great teacher, possibly the best of all the attendings, and he consulted with other doctors to try and give his patients the best chance possible. Who would have thought that Mark Sloan was even capable of being in a committed relationship, never mind becoming a better person. But yet he could, and he had: all because he fell in love with…

…Lexie Grey. She was supposed to start her internship at Mass Gen. but the death of her mother brought her back to Seattle, where a late transfer request was put in and Webber snapped her up. He knew she must be smart, she was a year younger than the rest of her peers yet her grades were still the highest of her graduating class. They learnt she had a photographic memory, but that never once made her slack off, she worked harder than any of the interns and thoroughly deserved her place in the programme. She had become really close to the sister that tried to reject her at first and really helped Meredith become whole. So she might have organised a crazy cabal of secret cutter interns but that was all in the past. She was making amazing progress specialising in plastics, until her relationship with Mark ended and she could no longer work with him. Not because they couldn't stand each other, but because they were still in love with each other. Even though they had both been in relationships since, Richard still saw the hurt and longing in her eyes whenever she was within 20 yards of her ex. She was working well in neuro now, becoming excellent in that field too but her spark had died of late. After the shooting she had gone a little crazy, had a breakdown in the hospital and had to be committed to psych. But she had survived: he just prayed she could survive this…

…he hoped they all could.

In his first duties as Chief, Richard had got hold of Search and Rescue, asked them to keep him updated and it didn't matter where the plane had gone down, they had to bring the casualties to SGMW: he was extremely persuasive. He had got Owen to contact Callie and do his best to get Teddy to return for the time being. The residents were already aware of the situation as they had been at dinner with him, and he had paged Bailey. He had rung Addie assuming she would want to be here as Derek was there to help her when her brother was ill. She told him she would be on the next flight out.

* * *

Alex Karev was freaking out. Why the fuck did so much shit happen to this hospital. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair! He should have been on that plane, he should have been representing the hospital but he'd got into a fight with Arizona and she put herself in his place and now she could be dead. And Lexie, yeah he wasn't there when she needed him to be but he couldn't cope with anymore crazy, but she was still one of his closest friends, they always got on, with or without the sex. Christina and Meredith were on that plane too, the three of them had started out together, he couldn't be the only one left, O'Malley had already died and Izzie had…Oh God, Iz! he hadn't seen her in forever but he knew she kept in contact with Mer, he had to let her know.

* * *

Everyone was waiting with bated breath. They were gathered in the conference room: April was sobbing in a chair, Jackson comforting her whilst being terrified for Mark, his teacher, and Lexie, who he still really cared for, no matter what was going on with April. Teddy was stood with her arms crossed, she was used to terrible situations, it didn't mean she wasn't worried. Callie was holding on to Sofia so tight with a vacant look on her face, shock and fear didn't even begin to cover it. Julia was sat with a sleeping Zola, feeling like crap. She was about ready to confront Mark on their relationship and future and now he may not have any future at all. Alex was barely holding it together, he was so mad at whatever or whoever was responsible for every bad thing that has happened to him and his friends, and was jittery at the fact that Izzie was on her way. He hadn't planned his seeing her again to be under these circumstances, he couldn't even begin to worry about how he felt about her , at least he knew she was alive, right now, that's all that mattered. Owen was sat with his head in his hands, he had lost all hope. Bailey was sobbing uncontrollably, holding onto Ben for support, she had already lost too many, she couldn't lose anyone else. Richard was tapping his desk, and staring at the phone, waiting for it to make a noise.

He answered it on the first ring. He kept his face composed as the news was relayed to him then hurriedly thanked the voice on the other end for the information and hung up the phone. He looked up at all the worried faces anxiously waiting for him to start speaking. "They've found the plane, they are going to start bringing them in now, there about 15 minutes out so we need to get to the roof." He tried to keep his voice level.

"Please" Callie squeaked out. "How bad is it?"

He saw them all wanting to know the same thing. "They have two walking wounded" A few of them sighed in relief. "two alert but badly injured and one needing immediate attention." He paused as a couple of them started muttering, he was unwilling to go on.

"And?" Pressed Alex, with this hospital he knew not to get too optimistic. A few of them looked at him as if they didn't know what he was talking about, but he kept his gaze on the chief.

Richard closed his eyes for a couple of seconds. "And two…" No he couldn't say those words, he just couldn't "…two black tags."

Everything stopped in that moment for everyone as they all feared the worst for the ones nearest to them. A few of them began crying, some of them started talking, asking questions all at once, others just looked shocked. "People, people" Richard called out, trying to regain calm. "I know we are all struggling with this, are emotions are all over the place, but what our friends and family need right now is for us to be doctors, so we are going up onto that roof together and dealing with whatever comes at us as a team, we need to be brave.

* * *

Julia decided to take care of the two toddlers. This wasn't her hospital and she wouldn't be much use unless someone had injured their eye: then someone could come find her. But right now she just needed to sit and think. She told them to find her to tell her how Mark was as soon as they knew, she really loved him and wished she could do more but she knew she'd be in the way, and it seemed like her grief just didn't belong with theirs.

Everyone else was on the roof, holding their breath as the first casualties were flown in. Mark was taken out first and Callie ran up to him and held his hand. He didn't respond, he was unconscious. The paramedic told them about his cardiac tamponade and the pericardiocentesis that had been performed in the field. As Teddy went to take over the situation she had time to find the parallels strange. She herself had had a patient in today who had suffered the same thing, the odds of that were small, it only occurs in 2 out of every 10,000 people, she felt like it was some sign or something that she should have picked up on. Jackson joined her as her resident, Mark was his friend and mentor, he was going to make sure he lived, and he had experience with cardio, he'd almost taken it up as a specialty.

As they were moving Mark away from the chopper, the paramedics brought Arizona out. She was awake, just, but was coughing up blood. Callie ran over and kissed her. She then looked at her injuries and let a couple of tears escape. Bailey rushed over and began wheeling her away. Internal bleeding was definitely a sign for a general surgeon to get involved. As Callie started to follow her inside Bailey stopped her. "Torres, she's alive, they both are, but you can't fix her leg, someone else will have to. I'm sure someone else will have broken bones, they need your help too." Callie almost protested, but Bailey was right, her family was being treated, she could still help her friends. "You're right Bailey, just look after her okay? And Mark's girlfriend is in the waiting room, can you get someone to tell her about him please?" Alex came over to help. "Don't worry Torres, I'll get onto it, and I'll look after Robbins, she doesn't get to win our fight this easily" He tried to lighten the situation , it probably wasn't helpful but it was his coping mechanism. He wheeled her toward the lift with Bailey and Ben.

The wait for the next surgeons was tense. There was only Callie, Owen, April and the Chief left. None of them said anything, they just stood there and waited. The helicopter came into view and had soon landed on the hospital roof. Meredith jumped out, she seemed okay if not a little roughed up. She helped unload Derek and bring him to the surgeons. "Callie! Thank God! You have to fix his hand, you just have to" Meredith pleaded. Callie looked at the injury and gasped audibly. "Holy crap!"

Owen butted in. "Meredith, we were told two people…" He couldn't finish that sentence

"The pilot" She replied. They all shamefully let out a sigh of relief.

"Christina?" He barely dare ask.

Meredith's eyes welled up and her mouth quivered and he expected her to confirm his beliefs. "Lexie" she whimpered and then broke down, she had tried to be strong but she couldn't do it anymore, her sister was gone, never coming back, they had become so close, Zola wasn't going to see her aunt anymore.

Callie sucked in a breath, she caught a wave of the grief. "Oh, God" She whispered. "Mark."

April cried. First Reed, now Lexie, she felt cursed. "Come on, we'll get Dr. Shepherd's hand sorted and we'll get you checked over" She told Meredith in a mothering fashion as she started to shepherd her away.

"Wait" Owen shouted. "If Christina is really okay then why didn't she come with you?"

"Mark" Meredith stated, then expanded at Owen's confused look. "He wouldn't let them take him until we promised we wouldn't leave her alone. Christina knew I needed to be with Derek, and she said, she had to stay with her, Lexie was her intern, it was her job to do this." Meredith cried a new set of tears as April helped her inside the hospital.

Richard shook his head as he and Owen were left on the roof once more. "Little Grey" he sighed. Nothing was ever going to be the same, nobody would ever be the same. He looked over at Hunt. "Well I guess nobody needed a trauma surgeon after all. How does that happen? How do seven people fall out of the sky and none of them need a trauma guy?" He asked perplexed.

"Because there were two fatalities" Hunt replied grimly. "I just need to see Christina, Richard, I won't believe it until she is standing right in front of me."

"I know Hunt, I'm sure they won't be long now." He knew how losing somebody you loved felt, he wouldn't wish it on anyone, his wife was still alive but she no longer knew who he was, he thought that was worse somehow, at least if somebody's dead you can grieve.

They stood in silence once more, just waiting for the helicopter to come back. At least they knew what they would be dealing with this time. Richard was trying to mentally prepare himself. He always hated declaring people, but this would hit too close to home. As the helicopter landed for the last time, both men stood to attention. The door opened and a paramedic stepped out.

"Christina?" Owen shouted over the roar of the blades. They began to pull out a gurney with a dark haired woman laid upon it. "Oh God, Christina!" He yelled again. Meredith had said she was fine, What had happened? Just then her saw a pair of feet jump out behind, pushing compressions onto the chest of the woman sprawled out.

"SHE'S ALIVE! HELP! She's barely breathing but there is still a very faint pulse. She has massive crush injuries, both internal and external but you have to fix her, she's holding on, you have to, she has to be okay!" Christina yelled as Owen dragged her into a hug and held onto her for dear life.

* * *

…**Oh and Lexie isn't dead, didn't I mention that in my pre-chapter ramble? :)**

**So hectic times await in the next few days. Everyone has gone Jubilee crazy. I'm not against the Queen, I just couldn't give a toss to be honest, I didn't watch the Royal Wedding last year either…so sue me. Why do I need to watch posh rich people flaunt their wealth whilst the country is in the shit? So we get an extra day of holiday on the 5th, the only good thing about that is that that day is my birthday, time to get hammered! Then once all that nonsense is over, Euros start, now that WILL be fun, for as long as England last (We're shit and we know we are) But I shall try fit the next chapter in there somewhere :)**

**Thanks to LexieMcsteamy, BekaRoo and Slexielover for the reviews, you're well ace! But I know there is more of you out there because of the ton of story alerts, so thanks for them too, just pop in a review to let me know you're still reading if you could :)**


	3. Chapter 3

** Okay, pull your jaw off the floor, yeah I updated :)**

**Been too busy reading all your fanfics to get on with my own. plus football has been on you know - you can't expect me to get owt done while thats going on. Well done you spaniards. What do you expect with Torres and Mata - they conquered europe already this season, just surprised John Terry didn't appear on the pitch in a spanish kit... (footy joke, sorry)**

**Woah anyways...deviation there. What I was going to say was that this story ain't going to go on forever because there are alot of similar stories and I don't want to bore you, however, I do think i'm on a slightly different track than most. (not that you can tell at the moment) Also I was going to drag other characters in as you can tell from the last chapter, but that idea is scrapped because of the shortening of the story. There will be mentions of other people but it's mainly Mark and Lexie because, well, I love them!**

* * *

**1 Week Later**

Mark was in his bedroom, curled up in a ball on top of his covers. He was ignoring the knocking on the closed door. He had been home for five days and he still refused to talk to people, he especially refused to listen to what they were trying to say to him, he didn't want to hear it.

There was a second knock on the door and then he heard the hinges creak as someone stepped into his room.

"Go away" he mumbled into the pillow.

"Mark…" the voice started, unsure of how to continue.

"Not now Julia" He closed his eyes and tried to curl up tighter. He knew exactly what conversation she wanted but it was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Mark" She started again, more determined than before. "You keep saying that but it's been a week, I think it's time."

He just wanted to be left alone but he knew that wasn't going to happen as he felt the mattress dimple as Julia sat on the other side of the bed.

"Please, just…"

"I know this is about more than the crash Mark, I know this isn't just about Derek and Meredith and Arizona, I know that this has everything to do with Le-"

"What?" he interrupted before her name could be spoken.

"I know you dated" She stated simply.

"I don't kn-"

"Please don't try and lie to me now Mark, not after everything" she asked, disappointed by his actions.

"How?" He asked her as he turned to face her for the first time since he had been rescued.

"Gossip is the only thing that spreads faster than disease in that hospital. I heard the nurses talking"

Mark nodded his head in understanding. He couldn't think of anything else to say "I'm so sorry Julia"

She closed her eyes to stop the tears from escaping. She had known from the minute Mark came out of surgery that it was over between them, but it still hurt to reach the point that she had dreaded. "Why didn't you tell me? We said full disclosure" She accused.

"I was still in love with her" He looked straight into Julia's eyes as he said it, finally free to tell her the truth.

She could see the pain etched on his face but she couldn't help but ask. "was?"

"She died right in front of me as I held her hand" He didn't care that he was crying now, he had held onto his tears for far too long.

"Mark, you and I both know that L-" she stopped at the look on his face "that _she _is in the hospital and she isn't…" She trailed off knowing she couldn't say that word out loud.

Julia was hurt right now. She felt betrayed, rejected, she now knew that her relationship with Mark had never really been as stable as she thought, but it didn't mean she didn't still love him, she did. It hurt to see him in this much pain and she needed to look after him, to help him come to his senses.

"She died in front of me" he repeated. "That person covered in plaster with wires and machines sticking into her, that's not my Lexie, it's not her" He began to cry again at using her name. "That not Little Grey, it's just…I said goodbye, I didn't want to but I did it and she's been in a coma for a week, she might not wake up and I…I…I can't watch her die again, so I can't get my hopes up that she'll be okay because I don't deserve another chance, I don't deserve her. She thought that she broke me but she didn't, I broke her. She didn't deserve any of this, Derek was right, I shouldn't have got involved with her, I should have stayed away. And when she came to my hotel room I should have sent her away, I should have resisted. But I didn't know that I would fall for her, or that she would fall for me, why would she do that, what did she see in me?" He was sobbing now, but as Julia looked at him she realised he expected an answer.

"The same thing I did Mark, you're a great guy. You're funny and charming and caring and-"

"But it's not the same" he cut in, shaking his head "It's not like when I met you, when I met you there had been Lexie, before her…I slept around…before her there was…she was the first…since I was a…I met her dad" he finished lamely, he couldn't explain what he meant, how it was different.

Julia seemed surprised. "you mean it was your first serious committed relationship?"

One look at Mark and she knew the answer.

"Wow, so…so…she was the first person you fell in love with?" She shook her head as that thought went through her head. "The only person" she corrected with a wry smile. She let the tears run down her cheeks at the realisation.

"Julia…" Mark started, but he didn't know how to finish that sentence.

"No, Mark, I get it now, it all makes sense." She got up off the bed and walked to the door. "But if you're really breaking up with me for her, then you should really break up with me _for_ her. Go and see her and sit by her side because she needs you right now Mark. If she dies and you're not there you will never forgive yourself, and if she wakes up and you're not there _she_ will never forgive you."

* * *

Meredith was holding Lexie's hand. She had spent the last week going between her sister and her husband, but now Derek had recovered more he was laid sleeping on the cot set up next to Lexie's hospital bed so that she could keep an eye on both of them at once.

She knew she was returning to the dark and twisty place she had inhabited throughout her first couple of years at the hospital. She couldn't help it as she looked on at Lexie laying comatose. She hadn't wanted to know about her fathers other family but Lexie refused to go away and they had become close, very close. Lexie was the only real family that Meredith had. And what had she possibly done to deserve this?

Meredith had been on that plane too and all she had was a minor concussion and a few bumps and bruises. She had placed her hand on an unexploded bomb in a body cavity and then been in the vicinity when it went off, she survived with a few cuts. She had drowned in the water and she knew she had died, she saw her mother and other people she knew to be dead, yet she came out of that with only emotional scars. She had told Gary Clark to shoot her and she survived that. She had travelled Europe and partied hard. She was happily married with a child. She had completed her residency so she was truly a doctor. Meredith had lived recklessly and survived to end up happy and whole.

Lexie, on the other hand, was just beginning. She was supposed to marry Mark, become an amazing doctor, have dozens of mini Sloan's running around the place. Lexie was the bright and happy, smiley face posters on the wall sister, she was meant to get the happy ending, not Meredith. She had to wake up.

A sound at the door pulled Meredith from her dwelling. She looked up confused.

"Julia? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you about Mark" The red head replied.

"I'm not talking to him, forget it! He told me she was dead. He gave up on her and he won't even visit her now when she needs him most. She loves him so much and ever since she told him he has just ignored her. And I get that he's with you, I really do, but he owes her so much more than that. After everything he's put her through, he owes her so much more" Meredith snapped, letting her anger and sorrow take over.

"He's in the hospital"

"Well I don't see him coming to see her?" Meredith was still worked up.

"That's why I'm here. He can't see her, not with you and Derek here and I was hoping that you could give him some time with her?" Julia asked, keeping calm.

"No if he wants to-"

"Of course we'll give him some time" Derek chipped in, he had awoken at Meredith's shouting and was slightly perplexed at the scene in front of him. "But Julia…I don't understand…you…"

"I had my suspicions. That night I was going to confront him, but then all this happened. I know now, Mark loves Lexie, he always has. We broke up and I made him face up to this, I got him here, to the hospital. Now you have to do your part" She thought she had explained the situation perfectly.

"But why are you doing this?" Derek pressed. If someone broke up with him for an ex they were still in love with he knew that he wouldn't be helping them get back together.

Julia shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."

* * *

Jackson Avery was walking along the halls when he came to a stop outside Lexie's room. He stopped by everyday at lunch and sat with her, hoping for a change. Some days April sat with him but today he was on his own. He was about to step into the room when he heard a voice, he peered in, not believing that his friend had finally shown up. He had heard that Mark had finally made an appearance in the hospital early this morning but he hadn't quite believed it until he saw it for himself. He kept quiet and let Mark carry on, unaware of Jackson's presence.

"I can't believe you held on for me Lex, I know I asked you to, told you that you had to, but you really stayed with me? I love you so much, I don't know why you did this for me when it was so much easier to give up, I don't deserve you, but you made my life worth living, you showed me that I could be more than what I was, I was wandering through life lost and you found me, put me back together and then I forgot about you, and got a family and I wish I could go back to where we were, everyday I wish that, not that I regret Sofia, I really don't. I just wish that…just please, you have to wake up for me now babe, I know you've already done more than enough for me and I can never repay you for that…but please, you have to wake up so that I can spend the rest of my life trying to. I love you Lex, I love you, I love you, I love you. You have to wake up from this."

Jackson's heart almost shattered at the sight as Mark completely broke down. Holding onto Lexie's hand he placed his head on the bed next to her arm and sobbed uncontrollably. Jackson took a step forward, his instinct to comfort his friend and mentor overruled any misgivings he should have about stepping in on a private moment.

"She'll be okay Mark, she survived the crash, she's going to survive this" He said as he made his way into the room.

Mark's head snapped up at the intrusion. "You, GET OUT NOW!" he seethed.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just…"

"GET OUT! This is your fault, you took her from me! I asked you to go see if she was okay and then you steal her from me. Then you try and be my friend, get out, Just GET. OUT!" Mark shouted through gritted teeth as he got up off the chair and advanced towards Jackson.

Jackson, startled, began to back away out of the door when he bumped into Derek who had come in to see what the noise was about. "Whoa Mark, calm down, I know you're upset but there's no point in blaming-"

"You too, Shepherd, I don't want you anywhere near her, you put her on that plane! Paeds only needed one surgeon, so did general, Teddy sent Cristina alone, you didn't see me bringing this guy along with me did you? so why the hell did you put Lexie on that plane? she didn't need to be there! so you get the hell out of here too because you're to blame for this Derek, she would be at home, SAFE, if it wasn't for you, so just keep the hell away from me, from US!"

Derek felt the guilt take hold once more. He didn't need Mark telling him that it was his fault, he had been going over it, over and over again for a week, wondering why he had asked Lexie to come along. He dipped his head to hide the tears forming in his eyes and backed out of the room, pulling Jackson with him. There was no use talking to Mark until Lexie's condition changed, he wouldn't hear anything until she woke up.

Mark took a deep breath to try and calm himself and retreated back to his original position by Lexie's bedside and once again took hold of her hand, hoping his touch alone could bring her back to him.

* * *

**So Meredith is mad with Mark and Mark is mad at everyone, it's okay, it's all part of the grief process.**

**Review?**

**I'll try and push a quick update through on this. I've also posted a separate, different ending one-shot, check it out?  
I'm working on updating my other slexie story too because i need happiness that doesn't remind me of faulty planes!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Has it really been two weeks? I apologise, it gets depressing thinking about the plane crash. **

**So a serious thanks for all the reviews, they make me happy :) And thanks for the reviews saying you understood Mark getting all angry and yelling at people. I was a little worried writing it because I know we all like happiness and hugs and all that but he has a right to be angry, this is Lexie we're talking about!**

**A special thanks to ML3MeantToBe for kicking me into action, because without you i'd still be sat there watching M/L videos and reading fanfic from 2009 (there is still a lot left to read!) So this chapter is for you :)**

* * *

Derek stepped gingerly into Lexie's room. He didn't want to come back so soon after Mark's outburst but he had to check on Lexie's neuro function. He might not be able to operate right now but he could check vitals and do the basics. As quietly as he manoeuvred, Mark still heard him and lifted his head to reveal a tear stained, sleepless face.

"Sorry, I just have to check…" He explained quickly so as not to upset his friend anymore.

"Fine, go ahead" As Derek stepped closer to the bed he heard Mark add "I'm sorry for earlier"

"You don't have to-"

"No, I do. I'm sorry for what I said. I was angry, I didn't mean it. You couldn't have known what was going to happen, I was just looking for someone to blame so that I didn't have to feel guilty. This was my fault, if only I'd done things differently." His voice was still scratchy from crying.

"Mark, don't do this to yourself, it's not your fault, it's nobody's fault. It was an accident." Derek reasoned.

"No, I should have told her. When she declared her love, I should have reciprocated. Then she would be fine. She wouldn't have been on the plane or she would have been sat next to me and not at the back, then she wouldn't have been crushed. And I should never have given up on her, I shouldn't have left her alone, she must have been so scared. And now, she might die and she'll never know how much I love her"

"Mark, she knows, I'm sure of it" Derek tried to tell his friend what he thought was obvious, after all, everybody knew Mark loved Lexie.

"She didn't. When she was trapped, I told her, I told her everything. But she thought I was just saying it because she was…because she was dying. So I need her to wake up so that she knows that I was telling the truth." Mark whimpered.

"Well I'm going to lower her sedation right now to see how she coming along, but it has been a week and her injuries are catastrophic, even if she does wake up I can't promise anything, you know that" Derek informed, trying not to get Mark's hopes up, or his own.

He slowly adjusted Lexie's meds and called her softly. "Lexie. can you hear me Little Grey? I need to check to see how you're doing, can you give me a sign you can hear me?" They waited with no response.

"Come on Lex, you can do this, just grip my hand, anything babe" Mark coaxed. He looked down at their joined hands and sucked in a breath. "Derek, I don't know, I think…I think she moved her finger. Can you do that again sweetie, just to be sure I'm not imagining things" he added as Derek moved round next to Mark to take a look.

Mark let out a cry of relief as she twitched her index finger once more, It wasn't much, but it was a response and Mark let out a breath that he had been holding for he didn't know how long. He turned to Derek "We need to tell Meredith"

"Well how about you go tell her and I'll finish up the test I have to do" Derek suggested.

"No, I can't leave her alone"

"You won't be, I'll be here. You need to go get some food and stretch you're legs Mark, I'll page you if there is any change."

Mark looked up at his friend conflicted. He knew he needed to look after himself too, but leaving Lexie after all the time he'd already spent away from her was almost incomprehensible.

"Go" Derek told him again "Meredith will want to know"

Mark finally conceded and got up from his chair, leaving a kiss on Lexie's forehead before making his way to the door. He paused in the doorway "Page me" he told Derek sternly, his eyes lingering on the love of his life, before moving away to make his way to the cafeteria.

* * *

As he grabbed a sandwich and a coffee he caught sight of Meredith sat with Cristina and Alex. He made his way over nervously. The last time he had seen her she had yelled at him and as she looked up and saw him he could tell she was still mad. Alex wisely took off before Mark got to their table, he had heard what had happened with Jackson and he was sure he was going to get the same abuse if he stuck around.

"Meredith" Mark tested the water.

"Mark" was the acerbic reply.

"Derek sent me, his was checking Lexie's-"

"You have no right to talk to me about my sister" Meredith cut in sharply.

"Mer…" Cristina warned her.

"What? You think that because you spent a few hours with her that makes the past couple of years okay? Because it doesn't! You should have just stayed away from the start, when Derek asked you to, but no, you had to get your man-whoring hands on her didn't you. If you'd stayed away then all this heartache could have been prevented. And then you leave her for dead, all alone, under that plane wing . Just stay the hell away from me and my sister!" She yelled, ignoring Cristina's interjection, causing the whole cafeteria to fall silent and watch the scene unfold in front of them.

He didn't want to fight, he just wanted to tell Meredith what he'd come to tell her and then get back to Lexie as soon as possible. "I only wanted-"

"No! I don't care what you have to say. What? you think that because Julia dumped your sorry arse, it means you can come running back to Lexie and she'll just take you back?"

Mark had had enough, if she was so hell-bent on having a yelling match then he would oblige, if that was the only way she would listen to him then so be it.

"**OKAY NUMBER ONE" **He yelled back, staring her down "Julia dumped me because two weeks ago she heard Lexie confess her love to me and when she thought about it she finally realised why I was stalling in our relationship.

**TWO. **She was trapped, bleeding out, had stopped moving or talking and I couldn't find a pulse or get her out of there, what else was I supposed to think? She forced me to say goodbye to her and then she stopped breathing, we were in the middle of the frigging woods with no imminent rescue. You saw how she was and _you_ walked away, _you_ were the one that left her like that so you have no right telling me I did anything wrong, I did everything I could.

**THREE.** I came here to tell you Derek lowered her sedation and she moved her finger, in her left hand! So there is movement there and there is some brain function because she responded to my voice, so if you weren't so self-absorbed in hating me then maybe you could actually care how your sister was doing.

**AND FOUR. **I'm going back to Lexie right now, and I'm not going anywhere unless dictated otherwise by her when she wakes up, because trust me, she will, and I'm going to be there when she does, so if you ever get over yourself then maybe you could be there for her too!"

With that, Mark walked away, leaving a stunned Meredith in a quiet cafeteria. "What the hell are you lot staring at?" Cristina looked up and shouted, forcing everyone to turn back to there now uninteresting conversations.

"I can't believe him!" Meredith told Cristina, hoping for some support.

"Meredith, don't you think it's time you dropped the grudge on Sloan." Cristina questioned "I mean, we've all been through a traumatic event and he's still on edge because Lexie hasn't woken up yet"

Meredith looked at her friend appalled. "I can't believe you're taking his side!"

Cristina sighed. "I'm not taking anyone's side. Look I was there in the woods with Mark when you went to find Derek, he was dying with her."

"I know that, I performed the pericardiocentesis on him."

"That's not what I meant." she said, shaking her head. "Remember how scared you were about Derek? You were really freaking out and you could hardly breathe for the panic because you didn't know if he was okay or not?"

Of course Meredith remembered, she would never be able to forget how terrified she was for his safety. She nodded her head.

"Well that's how Mark was feeling, I could see all that on his face, in his eyes, and you know how good he is at hiding his emotions. He was feeling the same way you were, except a million times worse, because at least with Derek you still had the hope that he was okay. Mark had no hope left, he was sure that he was minutes away from losing the love of his life and then he thought he had."

They were both silent for a few minutes, trying to imagine just what he had been going through, but they couldn't really know, not until they had experienced it for themselves. They hoped they never would.

After a moment Cristina spoke again. "It's the reason I'm going to try and work things out with Owen."

"Cristina" Meredith chastised "He cheated on you"

"I know that, I'm not saying I'm going to just get back together and forget everything. I'm saying I'm going to talk to him, see if we can work past it. Mark and Lexie, they never wanted the same things but it never stopped them loving each other even though they were with other people. If there is still feeling there, surely you owe it to each other to try, I mean that's what Mark is doing now isn't it, that's what Lexie was doing when she told Mark she was still in love with him. Lexie told me that they made each other miserable, but I never saw her as unhappy as when they were apart. Surely you can learn from your mistakes and try again, surely you can be better than you were…"

Meredith let that sink in. "I'm going to go see Lexie" As she got up from the table she turned back to Cristina. "If you really want this Cristina, then go talk to Owen, if you think you can forgive him then go try."

"You don't think it's a good idea do you?" Cristina replied, knowing her friend all too well.

"No. But you thought I should give up with Derek and you supported me anyway and look where we are now" She shrugged and smiled as she began to walk away.

"Mer" Cristina called to her, and waited till she stopped and faced her. "You're still my person"

* * *

"How is she?" Meredith asked quietly from the doorway.

Mark turned his head to the door. "Derek checked her over, he said she seemed okay so he's lowered her sedation more, he thinks it time we woke her up properly, so now it's just a waiting game." He told her, keeping his cool as she seemed to have calmed down some since earlier.

She nodded her head at the information "Can I sit?"

"Sure"

"I'm sorry I've been mad at you, I guess I never really thought about how you had been feeling." She told him as she took a seat at the other side of the bed and held onto Lexie's free hand.

"Yang talked you down" he stated giving her a slight smile.

"What? N-no, well sort of… How did you know?"

"I only saw my side of the picture, and you yours. Yang saw the whole, she knows how important Lexie is to both of us, and she's the only one that can make you see that."

"Yeah, she got me to see sense, she stuck up for you when all I wanted to do was scream and shout."

Mark laughed a little at that "I never thought I'd see the day when Cristina Yang and I became…well…friends, I guess. Going through something like that together though, I suppose it's inevitable that you get closer to someone. She was there for me, she tried to help. She stayed out in the woods to make sure Lexie came home. Cristina saved Lexie's life and in turn she saved mine. I'll forever be indebted to her"

"Mark…" The voice was so quiet he couldn't be sure that he hadn't imagined it, but one look at Meredith's face told him he hadn't. "Mark…" Another mumble.

"Lexie! Lex! I'm here babe, I'm right here." He told her as he squeezed her hand, but she had already slipped back into unconsciousness.

"I'll page Derek" Meredith told him, a tear slipping down her cheek, she couldn't believe it, her baby sister was going to be okay. But even though she was and should be happy right now, she couldn't help the stab of jealousy that came with Lexie calling out for her ex-boyfriend instead of her half-sister.

* * *

It happened a couple more times, Lexie waking up for only enough time to call for Mark before falling back asleep. It was to be expected after been out for so long, they just had to be patient and wait.

"Mark…" The sound brought him out of his reverie once more.

"I'm here Lex, I'm right here" He told her again squeezing her hand to let her know exactly where he was.

"It hurts" She told him "I-I can't move, It's crushing me"

"No, no. It's okay Lexie, we're at the hospital, you're going to be okay" He explained quickly as he could tell she was beginning to panic.

"But the plane…" She tried to remember. "You couldn't move it…I-I died?" she was confused, why was she in the hospital, when did that happen?

"I know, I thought so too" He stroked her hair and let the tears fall, dripping onto their intertwined hands as he kissed her fingers. "But when the rescue came, they…you still had a pulse, you were in bad shape but you fought like hell and you're still here."

She remembered something then. "No but I died. I was dead, because…"

"shush babe, it's okay, you're okay"

"I'm tired" She told him, losing the thread of the conversation, her eyelids drooping.

"You sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, I'm not going anywhere."

"hmm"

"I love you" he added, almost silently. He didn't know if she heard him or not.

* * *

**20 follows - 19 reviews. Something doesn't add up here...  
Come on, the box is right there, you know you want to... :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N So this chapter's a bit chop and change-y but I hope it comes across clear enough.**

* * *

Mark was dozing, his hand still joined with Lexie's and Derek was sat quietly at the other side of her watching her sleep.

"M…M…" Lexie murmured as she slowly came round.

"Mark? He right here sleeping, I can wake him for you" Derek looked up and leant across to gently shake his friend.

"No" Lexie replied "Meredith"

"Oh. I'll go get her for you"

"Thanks Derek"

Meredith walked into the room a minute later holding a cup of coffee and took the chair that Derek had vacated. "Hey you're awake, I was just getting some caffeine"

"Long day?" Lexie asked

"Yeah" she replied dismissively. "But enough about me, how are you feeling?"

"You died." The younger Grey stated after a moment.

"Huh?" Meredith furrowed her brow. "No Lex, I think you're confused, I was fine, just a few bumps and bruises"

"Oh that's good" Lexie sighed, relieved. "But I meant before, you've died before right?"

"Yeah…"

"I heard Izzie saying something once about how you…how something happened…when you were…" She stumbled over the words, not quite knowing how to phrase the question.

Meredith understood what her sister was getting at. "Who did you see Lexie?"

* * *

"_Meant to be" She agreed as she looked into his eyes._

_Everything went dark for a moment and when she opened her eyes he was gone. The weight of the plane didn't hurt her anymore but she was still trapped under the large chunk of metal. That was a bad sign._

"_Help" She tried, her voice scratchy and not as loud as one would hope. "Help" _

"_Lexie, it's ok, don't panic, we're going to get you out of there." His voice was kind, reassuring, just as she remembered._

"_George?"_

_He appeared in front of her, a smile etched across his face, confirming that it was him._

"_But you're…you're…I mean…you…am I dead?" She finally questioned._

"_That hasn't been decided" Another voice, female, older._

_Lexie gasped "Mum?"_

"_It's me darling, I'm here"_

_Tears came to Lexie's eyes "I missed you so much"_

"_I know you did baby, I'm sorry I left" Susan Grey apologised._

"_You didn't want to leave, it just happened, like this, like me, there was a stupid plane crash and now…now…oh God, I'm never going to see Mark again" Her breath hitched as the deluge of tears forced there way out. "And I'm freaking dead!"_

"_Like I said, that hasn't been decided" Her mother spoke calmly as she wrapped her arms around her. Lexie looked up shocked, the plane had disappeared and she was sat in the middle of the forest with her mother and George on a warm, sunny day with no sign that a plane had ever been here to begin with. This was all too weird._

"_What is that supposed to even mean?" Lexie asked confused "I'm here aren't I? Who decides?"_

"_You do" George revealed._

_Lexie was even more confused now. "But if you decided if you could live or die then why are you two here?"_

"_Not everyone gets to decide Lexie, I fought like hell to live, so did your mum, but you, you're using it as an excuse, you're running away"_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lexie replied stubbornly._

* * *

"Were you running away?" Meredith asked her sister.

"I finally told Mark I was in love with him" She admitted sheepishly "I told him he was a disease and I was infected by him. I told him I couldn't eat, breath or sleep because all I can do is think about how much I love him."

" I mean Derek is getting pretty pissed with me because I'm not concentrating on work. But I can't because all I see is Mark." She added. "But the point is, I told him like 50 times that I love him, I poured out my soul to him, and he just gawked at me like the crazy ex-girlfriend I am and said "Thank you for your candour"

"So what? You thought that if you died it would save the humiliation of being rejected?" Meredith replied trying to keep the indignation out of her voice.

"It wasn't like that"

"Well tell me what it was like then because I don't get it Lexie!"

* * *

"_Lexie, I know that you told Mark how you felt and he didn't say anything and it must have felt terrible" George told her._

"_Oh, you knowing __**anything **__about how people feel is the most ridiculous thing I've heard!" she retorted._

"_Lexie!" her mother chastised._

"_No, I deserved that" George conceded_

_Lexie sighed. "No, you didn't. I'm sorry George. It's just, I don't know, I'd been holding it in for so long about how I felt about Mark. We talked to each other while the others were taking their boards and he told me he missed me, as a friend I guess, but I __**really missed him **__and I tried to say something, tried to tell him why Jackson and I broke up but he told me we didn't have to talk about it. But I still tried but nothing would come out. So when I finally told him I thought, I don't know what I thought, but I thought he'd say __**something**__, but he just left with Julia. I mean I want to see him happy, but I just can't see him with someone else, it hurts, it hurts more than anything, more than losing either of you, more than dad turning to drink and becoming cruel, this hurts every part of me and it's torture, like every mistake I ever made is thrown in my face every minute of every day._

_And then he goes and tells me that he loves me, past, present and future and that we could get married and have kids, when he knows I'm not going to live. Like some cruel sick joke, pushing the knife in further. Maybe he thinks that it's what I want to hear and he'll say it because he feels he has to. Maybe he was just being cruel and wanted to remind me of all the things I'll never get to do because I walked away from the one man that could give me forever." She hugged he mother tighter, holding on for dear life as she cried her heart out._

"_Or" Her mother spoke softly "He told you because it's true and he had to tell you because you were running out of time and he needed you to know that he felt the same way"_

_Lexie shook her head, she didn't believe that theory, not for one minute, if he'd meant it surely he would have told her when she was alive, not about to die. _

"_Lexie, you have to decide, you're running out of time, you need to decide if you are going back or not" George told her with a hint of urgency in his voice._

"_But, I can't go back, not to that, and you two are here"_

"_Honey, you need to think about the bigger picture, about other people, your decision doesn't affect just you." He mother lightly scolded. "I mean, think about how Meredith will feel."_

"_She has Derek and Zola and she's moving to Boston, I'm sure she'll be fine" Lexie reasoned._

"_Her mother isolated her from her family by being too busy. Your father left her and didn't fight hard enough for her and had another family. Her mother died. Your dad tried to reconnect and we got close but then I died and her father blamed her. You're her sister Lexie and you're the closest thing to family she has. She took you in when you needed a place to stay and she grew to love you. Zola loves you. If you die then it will break her, can you deal with the guilt if you choose to leave her?"_

_Lexie began to process that, her mother had a point. Well of course she did, Susan Grey had always been the voice of reason, she would always sit patiently, listening as Lexie went on her usual 'blathering like an idiot' speeches and then calmly point out the facts that Lexie's neuroticism could never seem to find._

* * *

"Mer, I'm so sorry" Lexie told her sister as she came back to the present. "I was selfish to try and run away from my problems. You were there for me even when you didn't want to be. I barged my way into your life so I shouldn't have…"

"Lexie" Her sister cut her off. "It was a horrible thing that happened, you were scared and confused and you weren't really thinking straight, we were all a little crazy back there. I forgive you"

Lexie smiled thankfully at Meredith. "You do know how to be a great sister you know"

Tears came to Meredith's eyes at that and Lexie turned away to give her a moment to compose herself.

When she turned her head she caught the gaze of another pair of eyes, a very blue pair, accentuated even more by the tears that had appeared in them after hearing Lexie talk about what had happened to her and her disregard for his confession. As she stared into those deep pools she remembered how she made her decision.

* * *

"_Wh-What's happening?" She asked, a little spooked as the air around them began to shimmer._

"_Incoming" George stated grimly._

_As she looked around she saw a ghost of a figure, laid down on the ground. She made her way towards it, trying to figure out who it was. She heard muffled speech, as if they weren't quite there, as if a veil were between them. _

"_**I should've said it earlier…That I love her…I should have said it earlier" **_

_Mark. Her heart began to pound in her chest ._

"_**She didn't know…She didn't know."**_

_He must have been talking to someone but she couldn't hear anyone else. She saw his face becoming ever clearer._

"_**You'll be okay….You don't need me…You take care of our girls."**_

_She looked down at him and his eyes locked on hers, a tired but content smile pulled at his lips._

"_**Lexie's waiting for me…I'll be okay"**_

_That's when she knew, the way he looked at her, the way he was willing to die just so he could be with her, he wasn't being cruel, he really wanted all those things he talked about. She did the only thing she could think of, she pushed him back through the slight light that he seemed to be appearing from. In an instant he was gone._

_She turned back to George and her mother. "I have to go"_

"_We know" They both told her with huge smiles on their faces._

_She ran and hugged them both. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you" George told her sincerely before laughing " But I kind of did you a favour, you would have never ended up befriending Sloan if it weren't for my stupidity" _

_Her mother then turned to her. "Don't be mad at your father, he's happy right now, that's all I can ask for. And don't run from Mark again Lexie, you deserve to be happy, fight for everything."_

_They heard a whirring sound. "Quickly, go!" George shouted as he pushed her towards the same gap Mark had disappeared through. With a last look back she fell through the veil and was hit with the intense pain of being crushed all over again. She opened her eyes slightly to see a helicopter coming into land 200 yards away._

* * *

Lexie blinked to release the tears stinging her eyes and Mark watched as they rolled down her cheeks. He brought himself closer to her, his face only inches from hers as he gently brushed them away with the pad of his thumb.

"You really meant it." It was purely rhetorical. She didn't have any doubt in her mind.

"Every word" He whispered as he closed the small gap between them and pressed his lips to hers for the first time in over a year.

* * *

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